Dean's update - January 2018

Colleagues,

With the winter term well underway, we look forward to an exciting year. As a further update on our continuing anniversary celebrations, mark your calendars for April 27, 28 for KIN@50: Looking back, moving forward, a special conference celebrating 50 years of Kinesiology and featuring keynote by Dr. Ron Zernicke of the University of Michigan.

I also invite you to join our students on February 14 for the Why We Love AHS event in collaboration with AHSUM. We recently asked our Instagram followers to tell us what they love about AHS. Caring. Inclusive. Opportunities. Enthusiastic. Supportive. A reminder of the special community we have formed here in AHS and should continue to celebrate and nurture.

So, in the spirit of maintaining a dialogue on our community's health and well-being, let's talk. Today is #BellLetsTalk day and AHS is joining the conversation. On January 31, tweet using #BellLetsTalk and #AHSWellbeing and my office will match funds raised on Twitter to support health and well-being initiatives in AHS. You can also visit the #BellLetsTalk kiosk in the AHS Expansion Foyer from 1 - 2 p.m. to take a photo with your message of support and encouragement.

In other news:

  • Preliminary undergraduate university application data is now available. Overall at Waterloo, there is slight increase over last year in Ontario Secondary School applicants, a healthy increase in applications from non-Ontario Secondary School sources (students from other provinces, external transfers, mature students), and an impressive increase in applications from international (Visa) students. In AHS, our overall total applications are up 10% compared to 2017 – again, with notable large increases from international students. Recruitment efforts continue with Grade 10 Family Night, February 22, and March Break Open House, March 10.
  • On February 15, 3 - 4 p.m., the Hallman Lecture Series presents How did Iceland transform rates of adolescent substance use over a 20 year period? by Alfgeir Kristjansson, PhD of West Virginia University. Details coming soon on the AHS website.
  • The AHS heat for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition will be held on February 16 at 2 p.m. in LHS 1621. All are encouraged to come out and support our graduate students and their research. 
  • The first Teaching Fellow Monthly Meet-up on the topic of Alternative Approaches to Formative Assessment takes place today (January 31). Save the dates for the following two meet-ups (online invitations to follow): Thursday, February 22, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Managing, Supporting, and Assessing Group Work, and Thursday, March 29, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Integrating Mental Health and Well-Being into Course Work.
  • The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies invites students, staff and Faculty to the Grand Opening of their newly renovated space in B.C. Matthews Hall on February 28, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. RSVPs appreciated.
  • The third annual graduate student Symposium on Aging Research (SoAR) is scheduled for April 25 in the AHS Expansion Building with keynote address by Toronto-based LGBTQ+ advocate Dick Moore on aging and inclusivity. Graduate students are invited to submit abstracts for podium presentations, rapid fire presentations and/or poster presentations by March 7. Cash prizes will be awarded for best student research. 
  • The calibre of AHS storytelling shone at the 2017 CASE District II Awards, which recognize outstanding print, multimedia, marketing, communications, events and program development. AHS took home three awards: 
Jim Rush.

Wishing everyone a wonderful month ahead,

Jim

James W.E. Rush, PhD
Professor and Dean 
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences